


Ish

by madladlord



Category: Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: F/M, I love that crossbow arm, Post-Dragon Age: Inquisition, Post-Trespasser, Red Jenny ending, ya know the one with the crossbow arm
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-16
Updated: 2016-07-16
Packaged: 2018-07-24 10:01:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,601
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7504093
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/madladlord/pseuds/madladlord
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ishvalla has gone by a few names and titles in the past few years ("Knife Ear", "Herald", "Inquisitor", and "Kadan" to name a few), but now she goes by another. Jenny. It's not a perfect life, but it's fun, and she's with a friend. Besides, she's got this cool new shooty arm, and nobody's asking her to kill darkspawn. So that's a plus.</p><p>OR: a self indulgent fic about my Inquisitor Post-Trespasser, with the Red Jenny ending. An Elf who loves her big husband, her friends, and pranks. Also dogs, but not when they're chasing her.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Ish

**Author's Note:**

> JSYK: This is with my Lavellan, who's name is Ishvalla, or Val for short, and Sera calls her Ish, cause she likes giving people nicknames, and that one sounds fun. Sorry if that's confusing. A friend who doesn't even play Dragon Age said they could follow though, so I'm not super worried.
> 
> Super duper self-indulgent, but I had fun, and that's kinda the point! I found it in my documents, so it's been sitting around a while, but here! Maybe some of yall will enjoy it too. Have fun!

It had been so long since she had last seen him. What was it, 4 months ago? He had business in Orlais fighting off this or that, and Sera had said it was probably best they stay in Ferelden for a while. She and Val had almost gotten caught by some of the nobles the last time they were in Orlais--they’re had been whispers of an elf with one arm and some suspiciously familiar vallaslin wandering through the shadows. 

They probably should have seen something like that coming, to be perfectly honest. Ishvalla had met countless nobles back then, that she barely remembered any of their names or faces. Some meetings that she probably wasn’t even technically conscious for. They probably would remember her, though, whether or not she remembered them. It’s easier to remember one elf girl with a glowing green arm than it was to remember hundreds of masked dignitaries with ridiculous accents.

And it was no wonder The Bull’s Chargers were so popular these days. Ever since the Inquisition, they had been hired for top dollar across Thedas. Even before her big speech (with a bigger book), ending the days of the Inquisition, Bull had been out with the Chargers. Occasionally there was a few demons still lingering about in larger numbers, and who better to deal with it than some of the Inquisitions top men? Or, well, former Inquisition. Regardless, they needed to go where the money was, and the money was where the demons were, and the demons weren’t known for staying in one place for too long. 

When time allowed, however, they tried to find their way back, catch up. 

“Hey, Ish! We got another one!” She startled at Sera’s voice, almost yelling from the doorway across the Tavern, a giggle in her voice. Sera looked excited about this one. That either meant it was going to be a really good one, or a really bad one. Honestly, each day could go either way with this girl. Val stood up, and fixed up her crossbow-hand, hearing it click in place as she pulled back the string, and popped out the arms.

“Is that so? Well, I had better get off my lazy ass then, haven’t I?” She smiled as she spoke, a little giddy at the thought of some more action. As she worked her way towards the exit of the tavern, a few heads turned her way. Most people there weren’t too concerned, though. Whatever those ladies got up to, it wasn’t hurting them, and that’s all they needed to know. 

_We really should move cities one of these days. Lay low for a bit. These folks are too used to us, and tell too many stories for my liking._ She thought to herself as she walked out of the tavern, and followed Sera up onto the roof.

_Hell, if it were up to me, we wouldn’t stay long enough for there to BE stories._

All in all, she knew that in order to get The Jennies to do what they do best, there was a balance. Enough for the little people to know who to tell these stories to, but not so much that the higher-ups got in the know. Val was honestly just glad most of the little people didn’t know her face. This would be a lot harder if they recognised her. For all they knew, she was knitting in a rocking chair, probably in a cabin somewhere in the Free Marches, doing not much with no one. 

“Ish, you alright? You made a little face there. And when you make that face, you ain't having fun. Why ain't you having fun?” Sera cut off her train of thought with a concerned face.

“Oh, no, Sera, not this. This is great, actually. I was worried I was going to have to sit in the Tavern all night fiddling with my thumbs, painfully sober.” She laughed and grinned, genuinely grateful for the distraction that being a Jenny brang. She wasn’t lying about the sober bit, though. Because some of the Jenny stuff was very spur of the moment, most nights they had a rule that you couldn’t get piss drunk. Made sense, but also made some nights really fucking dull. “I was just thinking about the stories Josie tells the nobles about us.”

“Oh, you mean the bit where we’re boring old biddies knitting scarves and the like for all the little kiddies in town?” She laughed out loud at that. “Right. Like we could settle.” She said as she side-stepped into a dark alleyway and climbed up the side of the building--Ishvalla not far behind.

Ishvalla laughed at that idea too. No, she wasn’t meant for quiet.

Neither of them were, really. Maybe one day, years ago, she could have been convinced to settle down with a nice Dalish boy and raise a family--or even to live in an Alienage--but not anymore. After everything that’s happened in the past few years with the Inquisition (and now with the Jennies), that life wasn’t for her. It only let the self-reflection roam free. And that wasn’t something she particularly looked for anymore. That, and she’d just get too restless. She needed to punch something once in awhile to feel useful these days.

 _Besides,_ she figured, _between the friends and the foes, they’d never let me so much as leave my house._

\--------

Val opened up the door to her tavern room, already halfway asleep. Dawn was breaking, and the night had been long. It was supposed to be a quick thing. Two hours, tops. But SOMEONE (Both of them, really, but Val was blaming Sera for now) forgot that they were in _Ferelden,_ so of course there would be guard dogs. Long story short, they got chased by a dozen angry Mabari through the castle, got lost, pulled a few extra pranks for their trouble, got chased some more, and eventually found their way out. 

Somewhere in there--around when she and Sera got separated while trying to lose the dogs--she swore that one of the guards recognized her. Her hood had been flown back in the chase, so he could definitely see her face clearly in the candlelight, her bright vallaslin against her darker skin striking. She had put her finger to her lips, to signal to not alert the rest of the castle, and wide eyed, he nodded and straightened his stance. As she quickly turned down the corridor, trying to escape the dogs she was sure were hot on her heels, she thought she heard a whisper of “Yes sir.” 

She was sure that in a day or so, though, he’d have told his friends and they’d have told theirs. 

He probably worked for the inquisition once upon a time. If he recognised her, he was probably pretty high up too. Maybe one of Leliana’s men? Or, more likely, maybe Cullen’s. They were always a little more deferential, and far less subtle. Hell if she knew, but best to leave as soon as possible. Just once she got some rest.

Her stomach growled, reminding her that not only had she neglected sleep that night, but also dinner.

So probably some food as well. She groaned as she thought about having to go all the way downstairs again to convince the kitchen to spare her a dinner roll, or something similar, to tide her over--

She whipped her head around as she saw movement in the corner of the room, and froze. 

A sleepy voice came from a chair in the dark corner, “Kadan, just 5 more minutes, please. I’m…” he yawned “...still sleepy...”

Hunger forgotten for the moment, she quietly walked towards the chair that the sleeping form was in, and--trying not to wake him again--softly giggled. I guess we really have been here too long, if he found us. She thought. 

He had probably come all this way to surprise her, and had tried to stay awake all night waiting for her. Poor man. Seeing him made her heart swell with so much happiness. Oh _fenedhis_ \--she needed to start using new curses now--but did she miss him.

His stubble had grown a smidge, the first hints of a true beard. Whether it was a new style he was trying out, or he just couldn’t be bothered to shave recently, she couldn’t say, but regardless she found it endearing. 

Looking down, it seemed he had taken off his armor, set off to the side of the chair he was in. As she stood there, she also saw a few scars she didn’t recognize along his torso. 

But that was for later. Remembering her weariness, and realizing he probably needed the sleep as well, she turned to the bed, released the straps on her prosthetic crossbow-arm, took it off, and grabbed one of the blankets from the bed in her right hand. She wrapped it around herself, before curling up on his lap, her head resting on his chest, right in the crook of his arm.

She took one more look at his face, and gave him a peck on the underside of his jaw. “ _Vhenan,_ I missed you.” She sighed as she rest her cheek on his chest again. 

The last thing she saw before she fell asleep was his half of the dragon tooth still hanging from his neck--leather strap worn, and possibly replaced, but still there. The last thing she felt was his arms circling around her, and the last thing she heard was “Me too, Kadan. Me too.”

**Author's Note:**

> I haven't written fic in so long omfg
> 
> Uh, hope you liked! Please leave a comment if you did, or if ya wanna chat, I'd love to. Hope you guys have a good day/night/week/month/year/life!! <3 <3 <3


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